The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary . . .

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28)

"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb"
(Lk 1:42).

The Word Among Us

Daily Meditation: Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-10

You are my inheritance, O Lord. (Psalm Response)

“I’m all in.” In a tense game of poker, a player will say that phrase when he puts all his chips into the bet, holding nothing back. The risk is great: if he wins, he gains a huge payout. But if he loses, he’s out of the game and he’s lost everything. By going “all in,” the player chooses to take that risk.

We see this very same attitude in today’s psalm. It is the prayer of a person who places his or her entire bet on God. The psalmist declares that his “allotted portion” and his “inheritance” is the Lord (Psalm 16:5, 6). Instead of hurrying to store up enough wealth to live in security, his concern lies with pleasing the Lord. The risk is real, as we know well enough from our own temptations: What if God doesn’t come through and provide for me?

Our first reading gives an example of this risk-taking trust: Elisha slaughtered all his oxen and gave up his entire livelihood to follow the prophet Elijah. But the supreme example is Jesus himself. In laying down his life, Jesus trusted completely in his Father and did not hedge his bet in any way: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46). His prayer of trust was the culmination of the many times he had relied on his Father throughout his life. He took refuge in God alone. And what did God do but turn his death and defeat into life and victory!

Today, ask the Holy Spirit to help you go “all in” with him. You can have the courage to do this because Jesus already went all in with you. In whatever situation you face today, big or small, he is already there, ready to provide for you. So take a risk and pray with your sick child for healing, or choose to forgive and reach out to someone who has hurt you, or talk about your faith and risk being misunderstood. God will bless your efforts and reward you. With every act of faith, your confidence in Jesus will grow. Soon you’ll discover that you can take even bigger steps of trust. And that is an inheritance worth betting on!

“You are my inheritance, O God.”

1 Kings 19:19-21
Matthew 5:33-37